Throughout May 2019 we’ve been getting to know the South West’s future leaders and it’s been a delight to meet so many impressive and enthusiastic individuals at our inaugural sell-out training events.
The sessions covered a lot of ground: an introduction to the strategies and solutions needed to take on Board positions, the roles and responsibilities of a Board member, the finer details of governance and finance and how to develop a Board CV.
We were lucky enough to be joined by Kate Anthony Wilkinson, Company Secretary at Mulberry and Aerospace Bristol Trustee:
“Diverse leadership is increasingly important in an ever competitive business market and it was great to meet such talented people during the introductory training sessions. I was delighted to be able to share with them my experiences as a Board Director and Trustee, and to provide the next wave of candidates with tips on C.V writing, and advice on how to start their Board careers”.
We were also joined by Jane Roscoe, Pro Vice Chancellor & Executive Dean of UWE’s faculty or Arts, Creative Industries and Education (ACE), who shared her own experiences to give our trainees invaluable insights into life as a non-executive director (NED).
Jane Roscoe’s Top Tips
- You’re there because your skills are valued and recognised, so you can be confident in speaking up on topics around your skill set and interests. You don’t have to have a say on every aspect – sticking to your area is often the best use of your time.
- Nodding is not enough. You don’t want a Board room of nodding dogs. Ask the difficult questions.
- All Boards are different so it’s helpful if you spend time getting to know how the Board proceeds and communicates. Do this by building a relationship with the chair and Vice Chair.
- Passion is great but Boards need plenty of strategic thinking and critical enquiry, not unfocussed passion.
- A focused agenda get things done.
We’re looking forward to following up these successes with our next round of training and networking events coming soon.
We’d like to say a special thank you to Natwest’s Matt Hatcher, Director of Corporate and Commercial Banking, Carmen Tilbury at Natwest Private Banking Services, and Tony Stubbs, Chief Executive of Transpire, for helping make these events such a success.
